The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-01-07
ABOUT MIILiONAIisEs.
Calculation NJ la ilaw Much Man Ca
Sp'rnd la ~ VI nth W,th"at Waste.

1t tnkes n rood deal more money to
be millionaire now than It used to do,
says tho writer of "Undertones" In the
San Francisco bronco. A man isn't
OF much account rs a millionaire nova
days unless hc has $40. 900. 900 or $780,
100000. The next generation will have
dictionaries, and IN few years more
money will be so commonplace that peo-
pie will turn round on the street and
point out some seedy-looking individual
and say:
That's Blank; he hasn't got cent. -
You will observe that it is only poor
devils who can reason that way. When
man gets money he doesn't reason.
He buys. The fact is, there is not so
much in this millionaire business as
people think. / sat in front of John
Mackay at the theater the other night
He didn't have as good seat as had,
or as good company, even If he was
with senator, and he couldn't get any
more out of the performance than /
could. ] am not so proud, however, as
10 deny that he possesses several COLA
teral advantages over me and great
many other people. ] know a fellow
who knows these millionaires. don't
know many myself. II is painful to
know millionaire; 1t is painful to
meet man who carries enough pocket
money all the time to pay off all your
debts and set you up in business.
saw man pick out $4,000 in green
backs and crumple them up in his hand
while he felt for 5-cent piece to make
small change. The sight was siokening.
l mentally counted it up in columns Of
Undertones. and it made me i'll.
As i was saying, knew fellow who
has acquaintance with these million
aires. His conversation soothed and
consoled me to some extent. He depre-
Gated the possession of too much money.
So did ]. He declared it did not con.
tribute to human happiness to anything
like the extent people imagined. ]
agreed with him. He said, indeed,
that the men of moderate means were
the only contented men--the only men
who enjoyed life. Igrasped his hand.
YES" he said, 'fhose men all have
so much money that can not derive any
benefit from it, dined," he went on,
'once with half dozen millionaires,
I've had better dinner at the club or
at the restaurant-but that is no matter.
After dinner they began talking of how
much money man could expend In
having the most luxurious necessities of
life, not speaking, Of course, of pictures,
or hobbies, or tastes that one could live
without One of them figured it out.
10 haH 20 n tch =,
town, wife and a child. He had in
the establishment everything that was
In the faintest degree necessary for per-
feet comfort. He had thirteen servants
six carriages, six horses, his wife was
the most elegantly dressed woman in
town; his child had everything thai
money could buy. He had. besides. q
place IN the country, non-productive, in
which he entertained frequently, al.
though not in the style of such places al
Belmont He had twenty-five employee:
on his country place, he had sixty
breeding and racing horses; he had q
yacht which cost him about $4,000 6
month, and for all these-house in
town, place in country, his wife't
dresses, his household expenses-he
could not without waste expend more
than $4,000 month"
Then wept
But the popular idea on the subject O
what establishments cost Is very vague
and. as rule, entirely beyond tn,
mark. Several very rich men, WHIT
stint themselves in nothing in theil
houses, who entertain rs much as tast,
Can possibly demand. who have ever,
comfort and every luxury, concur in tn,
statement that it Is impossible TO expent
on the running of the household more
than $4,000 month. He can buy
pictures and keep adding expensive
articles and all that sort of thing. bu
you can not find luxuries and accessor
les that cost beyond that amount o
money unless you 60 in for wantoI
waste, encumbering rather than bring
ing any return in comfort So you SEX
all you want is 1920. 900 a year and the
capital, and dun't you wish you MAJ
get itP One millionaire here, who ha'
most noted establishment and msin
tains the most luxurious style admit
ted that he could not nd-anything HI
coulu maso lily use in his household
over $1,000 a month. Perhaps that will
suit you better. We have lower and
cheaper classes of millionaire goods
madame. We have an article we car
sell at $1,000 a month, and if tina
doesn't suit you we can offer you 6
millionaire's establishment that cost!
$3.50 a month. You wouldn't care t.
go lower, surely.